Physical Activity as part of your healthy active lifestyle Finishing off Unit 1.1.4… Physical Activity as part of your healthy active lifestyle

Learning Objectives Do I know what a PAR-Q is and why I should complete one before I take part in a training programme? Can I compare types of exercise describing the difference between aerobic and anaerobic? Do I know what training thresholds, the target zone and recovery rates are?

PAR-Q Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire Before taking part in an exercise programme you must make sure you are ready to do so.  A personal trainer would ask you to fill out a form like the one below to help them plan a programme suitable for you. Before you take part you should consider your medical history: any medical conditions, respiratory problems or other concerns.  You should also be quite clear about previous sporting or exercise knowledge.  

Comparing types of training You need to be able to explain the role of aerobic and anaerobic activity in relation to exercise.  Below are the definitions from the glossary of terms.  You need to know these. Aerobic activity ‘with oxygen’. If exercise is not too fast and is steady, the heart can supply all the oxygen the muscles need. Anaerobic activity ‘without oxygen’. If exercise is done in short, fast bursts, the heart cannot supply blood and oxygen to the muscles as fast as the cells can use them.

Comparing types of training The terms relate to the intensity of the activity or how hard you are physically making the body work. For example, the 100m sprint is an anaerobic activity because you work as hard as you can (maximal level). When we work at this rate it is not possible to supply the muscles with the oxygen they need to release energy for the exercise, so we woth without oxygen anaerobically and repay oxygen debt once the exercise is completed. The only problem is that because of the lack of oxygen we can work at this level only for a limited period of time, therefore longer events such as the 3000m are mainly aerobic.

Aerobic and Anaerobic An extreme example of the anaerobic activity is the 100m sprint. An extreme example of an aerobic activity is the marathon, although aspects of the marathon will be anaerobic, e.g., the sprint finish. Similarly, many team games will have aspects of aerobic and anaerobic activity within them.

Target Zones and Training Thresholds In order for training to be beneficial the heart rate must be raised to an appropriate level above its resting state. To calculate your target training zone you take 220 – age, e.g. 220 – 15 = 205. Your target training zone will be 60–80% of this figure, i.e.  60% = 123     80% =  164 At the lower end you will be working AEROBICALLY, i.e. creating energy with the presence of oxygen so work is of low intensity. At the upper end you will be working ANAEROBICALLY, i.e. creating energy without oxygen so work is of high intensity. Your recovery rate is important. The quicker your pulse returns to normal, the fitter you are.

Graph The top line on the graph represents the maximum heart rate values for the age groups specified. The middle line represents the maximum training threshold (80%) The lower line represents the minimum training threshold (60%) The area between the minimum and maximum training thresholds is called the target zone – the area that you should try to work within so that your body is working hard enough to cause it to adapt but not so hard that training has a negative effect

DEFINITION TARGET ZONE This provides the range of heart rate values the performer should work within in order for training intensity to be effective.

Recovery Rates One of the immediate effects of exercise is an increase in heart rate. A person’s recovery rate is the amount of time it takes for their heart rate to return to its resting rate after they have finished exercising. The reason the heart rate remains high is that it is continuing to deliver an increased amount of oxygen to the muscles (paying back oxygen debt) to reduce lactic acid content and to transport carbon dioxide to the lungs. The quicker your heart rate returns to its resting value, the fitter you are thought to be